NATIONAL SECURITY: “Federal and local officials are reviewing the U.S. wireless emergency alert system after a false warning over an incoming ballistic missile rattled Hawaii on Saturday [1-13-18], exposing what officials say are troubling shortcomings in the network.
Critics say the national alert system—which is used by local officials to issue real-time notifications in case of disasters and other emergencies—needs better testing. They say it is vulnerable to false alarms and should be enhanced with better safeguards to prevent errors as well as faster cancellation of mistakes.
State and local officials say the system makes it impossible to send targeted alerts, forcing them to make tough calls over whether to issue broad warnings that go beyond areas in danger.
The concern is growing not only because of the error in Hawaii, but also due to mounting nuclear tensions with North Korea in general. Recent attacks in New York and natural disasters in Texas and California have also brought the system under scrutiny, as officials have been criticized both for sending alerts too widely and for failing to send them widely enough.
Saturday’s false alarm suggests that a yearslong process of transforming the system from one heavily reliant on television and radio broadcasts, where most people got their information years ago, to the world of texts and cellphones still faces problems.
Nationally, officials are questioning the arrangement following Hawaii’s mishap, which state authorities say was triggered by one employee during a routine test and during a shift change…
Even before Saturday’s incident, the FCC was focusing on complaints that alerts are often transmitted too broadly. Mr. Pai has proposed new standards requiring wireless carriers such as Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. to narrow the area affected.”
-Stephanie Armour and Dan Frosch, “U.S. Reviews Emergency-Alert System After Hawaii Mishap,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 14, 2018 06:33pm